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Former Georgia standout Stinchcomb to speak at Bethesda fundraising dinner

Matt Stinchcomb

Matt Stinchcomb was raised in a family of educators — learning early on that a focus on academics was vital to becoming a success in life.

Stinchcomb grew up in the Atlanta area and starred as a lineman for the Parkview High football team — earning a scholarship to the University of Georgia, where he had always dreamed of playing.

When he became a Bulldog, Stinchcomb stayed true to his roots — excelling in the classroom as well as on the field from 1995-98. He was an academic all-American and a two-time all-America selection as an offensive lineman.

Stinchcomb went on to a successful seven-year career in the NFL, getting a chance to play for the Oakland Raiders in a loss to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Now working at Seacrest Partners in Atlanta, while serving as a college football analyst for the SEC Network and ESPN, Stinchcomb will speak about his life experiences tonight at Bethesda Academy’s “The Game of Life — Celebrity Sports Weekend Kick-Off Dinner.”

Cocktails start at 6:30 p.m. with dinner set for 7 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Savannah at 2 West Bay St.

“I grew up in a family of teachers and principals, so we valued education and the opportunities it could provide,” said Stinchcomb, who won the NCAA’s Draddy Trophy in 1998. The award — now called the William V. Campbell Trophy — recognized the NCAA football player with the best combination of community service, academics and on-field performance.

“We’re privileged in this country to take advantage of the opportunity to learn,” Stinchcomb said. “And sports are a great motivator to get kids to apply themselves as students. Kids need to know that academics can have a bigger impact on their lives than sports ever will.”

That will be part of his message when Stinchcomb serves as the keynote speaker tonight at the “Game of Life Dinner,” which opens a weekend of fundraising events for the Bethesda Academy, a Savannah institution founded in 1740.

He also will reminisce about his playing days at Georgia and time in the NFL with the Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Bethesda’s Celebrity Golf Tournament will be held Friday at The Club at Savannah Harbor with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Space is limited. Teams of three may sign up and will be paired with a celebrity athlete. Among those expected to play are Stinchcomb, former NFL standout Dexter Carter, former Georgia star David Greene and former Clemson and New England Patriots standout Johnny Rembert.

On Saturday, the celebrity athletes will be on hand for the Celebrity Sports Camp from 9 a.m.-noon on the Bethesda campus. Area youth ages 11-18 are invited to come out to play football, basketball and baseball with the athletes. The camp is free and open to the public, but space is limited so advance registration is required.

Tickets to the dinner are $50 and can be purchased at www.bethesdaacademy.org. Golf registration and sports camp registration is also available at the site.

For more information on the weekend’s events, contact Andrea Dove at 912-644-4376 or andrea.dove@bethesdaacademy.org.